Lakers' LeBron James Calls for NBA to Make Major Change

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has a lot of influence on the NBA and how things work. For someone who has played as long as he has at the level that he has, it makes sense that he has the influence he has.

James is such a good player, and he has won almost every award possible in the league at some point in his 20-plus year career. He even made another All-NBA team this year with the Lakers.

While James has been phenomenal throughout his career, he would like to see the NBA acknowledge more great players.

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The Lakers' star would like to see the NBA give out an Offensive Player of the Year Award like the NFL does, in addition to an MVP award.

LeBron James said he thinks the NBA should award an OPOY, similar to the NFL:

“You give an MVP and an OPOY… and it changes. It’s like ‘OK, so is it the best player? Is it the player that had the best season with their team? Maybe that’s OPOY.” pic.twitter.com/zJbQun22St
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 22, 2025

James has an intriguing idea here because the definition of MVP seems to change from year to year. Usually, it goes to the best player on the best team. It often doesn't go to the best player, period.

This past season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was both the best player on the best team and the best overall player in the league. Still, James' point is well taken.

There were several years in the past when James didn't win MVP when he probably should have. He was the overall best player in the league, but his team either wasn't good enough, or there were other better storylines that got voted for.

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The Lakers have two players who would certainly be candidates for the OPOY on a yearly basis on the current roster in James and Luka Doncic. Both of those players are still two of the best 10 players in the league.

James has only a couple of years left in the league at most, so he is trying to use what influence he has left while he's in the league as a player. There's a good chance that he ends up being a future owner, too.

This past season with the Lakers, James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game. He shot 51.3 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

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